


A King's Librarian

by IvyMoon



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Angst, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-neutral Reader, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Social Anxiety, they/them pronouns for reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22807177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyMoon/pseuds/IvyMoon
Summary: Usually you were quite happy to keep to yourself. But restlessness was catching up with you, and you agreed to a blind date. Upon showing up for the date at a classy club, you catch the eye of the live band's singer. A certain Goblin King in disguise perhaps?
Relationships: Jareth (Labyrinth)/Reader, Jareth (Labyrinth)/You
Comments: 15
Kudos: 37





	1. Caught in the Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I am taking the plunge, and starting a new fanfic. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I wasn't able to figure out how to make it clear in the writing, but I'd like to imagine this is taking place in the late 80's. Feel free to picture yourself in some totally tubular 80's outfits!

A sigh brushed past your lips as you reshelved a book. Things at the library were slow again today. This sort of thing had never truly bothered you; you weren’t exactly a “people person.” But it did annoy you to some extent that you had fallen into the reclusive bookworm stereotype. You were always happy to live your life through other’s stories. But on days such as these, you had to wonder what was captivating so many others elsewhere. Maybe you would enjoy whatever it was too. 

After you clocked out for the day, you grabbed your coat and pulled it around your shoulders. Seeing the gray clouds, you tucked your book bag beneath it as well. Naturally, you enjoyed checking things out for yourself regularly. Conveniently, your home was a short walk away from where you worked, and you made it long before the clouds would break. 

Once you had unlocked the door to your apartment and stepped in, you quickly kicked off your shoes, and slumped onto your couch. Now an indulgent sigh left you. Absent-mindedly, you leafed over the books you had picked out. At the library they had looked welcoming, but now their once captivating pages had lost their luster. Here you were once again, sitting at home, trying to lose yourself within novels. 

Yes, you loved to feel a part of the worlds you read about. But as you thought about it, you realized that you could potentially be a part of a captivating story of your own. If only you didn’t entrap yourself within your work and home every day. But home and work were safe. The world was full of uncertainties. And that scared you. At thinking about things that scared you, suddenly you recalled you were going out tonight! 

Instantly, you sprung to your feet and raced to your room. Standing in front of your closet, you chewed on your lip nervously. Eventually your searching hands made their way to the outfit you'd be wearing that night. You hadn’t even picked it out for yourself. An old friend of yours had helped with that. In fact, you were going to a blind date they had helped set up for you. Stepping in front of a mirror, you held the outfit up to yourself. You weren’t sure if you liked what you saw. It was a very unusual view for you. 

“Would it look better when it’s on?” Your words were clouded with uncertainty, and discomfort. Hesitantly, you slipped into it. It felt very strange on you. Almost like a child playing dress up. It was obvious in your mind that you weren’t cut out for this sort of thing. But you couldn’t very well show up in something within your comfort zone, like an oversized sweater. It was just going to be one night after all. After wrangling with your hair for a bit, you just stared at yourself in the mirror. Finally, you decided you were going to look as good at you were going to get. 

Back outside you stepped, coat around your shoulders once more. The place you were headed was also a convenient walking distance away. In fact, it was just a little past the library you worked at. A quick jangle of keys as you locked your door back up, and you were off. Within a few minutes, you found yourself standing in front of your destination. You could hear a live band playing inside. The tune made you smile a bit. It was rather nice, and you found yourself tapping your hand on your leg to the beat. Taking hold of the confidence the music was giving you, in you strode. After a polite exchange, a waiter led you to your reserved table. Your date wasn’t here yet. 

Great, you thought, way to draw out my anxiety. At least there was a bar. You ordered a drink to keep you busy while you waited for your date to arrive. Time marched. A sad song played. Or was it a love song? By the way the singer sounded; it was very forlorn, despite the lyrics. At least that’s how it sounded to you. 

As time went on, you found your head resting in your hand. Were you earlier than you thought? Unfortunately, you had to tell the server that you were waiting for someone before you would order several times. At last they let you be. But the repeated interactions with them had only piled onto your nerves. You knew that they were just trying to do their job, but it had still frazzled you. The one thing keeping you from getting up and making a get-away was the enchanting music. 

How much time had passed? Your gaze started to search for a clock. Wandering eyes found themselves looking upon the band. Sweeping past, you halted, and looked back. Had the lead singer been looking at you? Heat tinged your cheeks. Your mind could not help but take note of how handsome he was. Were you allowed to admire someone else when you were on a date? It was very easy to become distracted by him. He made the complicated notes look easy to sing. Well, was it really a date if the person in question wasn’t there? 

At last you tore away, and your eyes found a clock. Well, you hadn't been early. And you had already been sitting there for an hour past the time your date was supposed to occur. Anxiety turned to sadness. Had you been stood up? You hadn’t even met the person, and they’d already decided they didn’t want a date with you? Or maybe, they had showed up, and when they saw you, they had left. Your inner thoughts turned to poison. Every word in your mind sewed another painful stitch of self-deprecation. 

Your brows knit together, and your arms sheltered you. Maybe you should just order another drink. Time ticked by. Most people had left now. The band was wrapping up, and bidding the remaining audience goodnight. In the blur of your stinging sight, you didn’t notice when the lead singer looked at you, and frowned sadly at the tears budding in your eyes. At last you stood up. You left a tip for the waiter who had been so patient with you, and made your way to the door. Slowly, you started to make your way back home. Somewhere, you could hear a clock chime, stating the hour. The way it hung in the night air made you feel as though it were trying to keep you company. 

Another companion showed. How odd to see an owl out in a public area like this, you thought. It was perched upon a street sign, and seemed to be watching over you. A small smile cracked on your face. The smile turned to shock as a sudden wave of rain crashed down upon you. You had forgotten about the oncoming storm! 

Frantic legs carried you as quickly as possible. Occasionally you would glance up to ensure you were still on the right track. Lo and behold, you saw a sheltering oasis. The library. You hadn’t passed it yet on your way home. Lucky for you, you had a key. You could wait until the rain lightened in there. Flipping on a light, you inspected your drenched coat. It had saved the clothing underneath at least. After hanging it up, you found a cozy nook to settle in. 

"Well, I guess I’m stuck here for a while.” You weren’t sure how you felt about being alone in the library. Did you lock the door behind you? Of course you had, you weren’t an idiot. The only souls to be found were the countless books before you. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Although, for once you didn’t really feel like reading. Now that you were alone with but your thoughts, the events of the evening shrouded back around you. Your throat hitched, and your stomach squeezed. Everything felt positively miserable. 

Well, not everything perhaps. You had enjoyed the music, and the workers had been very kind. There was no doubt that you would enjoy returning, even if it hosted a bad memory now. And, at the blatant fact that you were very single still, you wouldn’t have to feel any shame in admiring that singer. You shook your head vigorously and smiled at your shamelessness. After a while, the rain finally lightened to the point where you were certain you could make it home with ease. Flipping off the light once more, you opened up the door to depart. 

As quickly as you could, you locked up. Upon turning around to face the street, a pleasant surprise shocked you. The owl! It sat perched in a tree along the walkway from the library. 

You couldn’t help but smile, and say, “Hello. I hope you weren’t waiting for me all this time.” A chuckle escaped from your mouth at the notion of being waited on by a barn owl. As if it were making sure you were alright. But it made you smile, and made the journey back home more pleasant. Once you were a good distance away, a mirthful voice spoke. 

“Well, I might have been, yes.”


	2. New Acquaintance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with the second chapter at last. Sorry for the wait, life has been hectic for many of us I imagine! I hope you guys enjoy, I've been pleasantly surprised to see how many people actually read the first chapter. Thank you for the love!
> 
> Please continue to keep in mind that this is taking place in the late 80's!

You’d been dreading this phone call. The insistent ring of your landline had woken you that morning. The night before had been spent tossing and turning until daylight had begun to spill through your curtains in gloomy blue rays. To be waking up a mere four hours later to face your bubbly friend’s antics was the last thing you wanted. You wanted more sleep. Or maybe some indulgent pancakes. 

Before you could get out any sort of greeting, they were asking, “So, what’s the four-one-one?” Might as well be honest with them. In preparation, you held your phone away from your ear. 

“They didn’t show.” Shouts of indignance burst from the speaker. It made you smile in your haziness, and you waited until their volume petered out a bit before placing it back to your ear. 

“-that jerk can get bent! Are you okay, do you want me to come over?” Their voice had quickly turned from spite and anger, to being laden with concern. They always had seemed to dote on you like a mother hen. 

“No, I’m okay. I have errands to run today anyway.” Honestly you didn’t want to have to deal with their high energy at the moment when you yourself were so low energy. Your nerves from this conversation alone had you winding the phone cord around your finger. But you knew they only meant well. “Rain check?” 

“Alright, rain check. I’ll bring ice cream! Hey, I gotta bounce, talk to you later, okay?” 

“Okay. Take care.” You heard the receiver click, and put your own phone back in its cradle. Despite not always being able to keep up with them, you appreciated having such a caring friend. 

Your day off went by painfully. The harsh truth of it was you longed to be back at the library. Back in the comfort of routine. You grumbled that that’s the exact attitude that was holding you down. But then again, breaking from your routine was what had left you in this state, wasn’t it? A blind date...You weren’t going to go on one of those again anytime soon. Why did changing things up in one’s life have to be so difficult? 

The next morning, you slapped your alarm off, and headed off to work. The first few hours inched by. You felt like a cog in a piece of machinery. Snuggly tucked away in your comfort zone. Everything was predictable in your work at this point. The next couple of days passed in a monochrome blur. Nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until a lithe arm reached for a book beside you. 

You had been reshelving returned books, and this had happened many times before. Someone would be looking for a book next to where you were standing, and your instinct was to simply shuffle a bit to the side to give them room. Sometimes it was a bit irksome. Why couldn’t they just wait for you to move a bit before intruding on your personal space? But working in any public service job, you knew you were going to be treated rudely sometimes. 

Despite this, you looked up to deliver a polite, “Oh, pardon me.” You practically choked on a gasp. It was the singer from the club! While you stared in shock, he gave you a dashing smile. Quickly you gathered yourself together, and sheepishly smiled back. Your mind and heart raced. He was even more handsome up close, and now it seems he has an interest in reading? Be still your beating heart. In a state of panic, your head turned sharply back to your work, forgetting your previous annoyance. He turned his attention to the book he had picked out. But being in prolonged close quarters with him was making you antsy. 

You began to work faster to place books back onto the shelves so that you could move to the next aisle. Soon you met your goal, and you all but scrambled away. As you swept past him, did you catch a frown on his lips? Suddenly you worried that you had come off as terribly rude, hurrying away as you did. But hadn’t he been rude first, when he’d impatiently grabbed for a book instead of waiting for you to move? 

For the rest of your shift, you anxiously kept an eye out for him. The last thing you wanted was to continuously bump into someone you may have offended. You felt so foolish, and thought in sarcasm at how well you’d made your first impression on him. But then, you hadn’t had the best impression at his actions. You weren’t sure how to feel. 

“I’m hopeless.” You sighed. He seemed to have disappeared after that. Finishing your shift, you began to collect your things. “Let’s see what I should check out today.” Over the past few days, you’d already torn through the last set of books, and now hunted for new ones. Drifting to the fantasy section, something caught your eye. A book you don’t remember seeing before poked out from its home on the shelf. Had someone donated it recently? 

Gingerly you slipped it from its perch. Bold golden lettering spelled out, “Labyrinth.” Naturally you flipped straight to the synopsis. Satisfied with the cute premise of the story, you slipped it into your book bag. 

“The ending is a tad disappointing, I’m afraid.” A silvery voice caught you by surprise. Whipping around, you felt your blood run cold, yet your face ran hot. It was him again! The mysterious singer. How he’d managed to enter the aisle without you noticing, you’d never know. 

“I-is it? That’s a shame.” Painfully, you stuttered out your response as you tried to recollect yourself. What was he still doing here? At your reply, he smiled in amusement. 

“Sorry, I didn’t intend to startle you.” He chuckled, and your heart caught against your ribs. It was a lovely laugh. You could feel a tingle go up your spine. Did all singers just sound naturally wonderful to the ear, even out of song? 

“Ah, it’s okay!” Completely out of character, you tried to carry the conversation further. Perhaps it was out of desperateness to recover from your last clumsy interaction with him. But did you really owe him that? “I’d ask what you didn’t like about the ending, but I don’t want to spoil it for myself.” You smiled awkwardly, and felt that you were extremely out of practice with casual conversation. Most of your interactions in public consisted of polite nods when you happened to catch someone in the eye while passing by. To your relief, he didn’t seem bothered by you. You had to remind yourself that it had been him who had started the conversation anyway. 

“I imagine we’ll catch each other here again. We could have that conversation after you finish it, if you’d like.” Were you imagining it, or was he leaning toward you? What was happening? Could he hear your heartbeat? You could sway from how much your head was spinning. What was he saying? He wanted to meet with you again? Did you want to meet him again? 

“A-alright, sounds good!” Why did you agree? You didn’t know him! But it seemed he intended to become a regular patron at the library. Quickly you blurted, “I should go now before it gets dark out. See you around!” You started to inch away, trying desperately this time around to be more polite with him. Though you were blatantly trying to flee from him once more. As much as you would like to, your anxiety would just not permit you to stay. His presence was simply overwhelming. 

“Yes, I have somewhere to be soon as well. See you around.” He replied coolly, grin never faltering. How was it possible for him to remain so calm and collected, a stark contrast to yourself? But as you awkwardly sped away, you guessed you would be seeing him again. Groaning, you decided you should practice your people skills. 

When you got back home, you draped across your couch unceremoniously. Obviously, you couldn’t stop thinking about the interaction. Had he recognized you from that night at the club? No of course not, you thought. You had just been another face in a crowd to him no doubt. Another question drifted into your mind. Was he performing there tonight? He’d mentioned he’d had somewhere to go. 

Part of you wanted to walk over to the club. You couldn’t deny that you wanted to hear his singing again. But wouldn’t it be awkward if he recognized you from earlier today? You didn’t want to turn into some creepy stalker. Tortured, you shoved your face into a pillow. Keeping yourself from fixating on him was going to be difficult.


End file.
